The present invention relates to an arrangement for converting a wide, delivered stream of bottles into a single-track stream of bottles that is to be withdrawn. A feed mechanism conveys the wide stream of bottles to a conversion region, from where the bottles pass into a withdrawing mechanism that conveys the single-track stream of bottles. The conversion region and the withdrawing mechanism are disposed at essentially the same levels as the feed mechanism. Guide rails are provided at the sides of the feed mechanism, conversion region, and withdrawing mechanism, with those guide rails that are disposed on a given side of the feed mechanism, conversion region, and withdrawing mechanism being connected to one another.
With one heretofore known arrangement of this general type, a so-called wide-track conveyer is disposed at right angles to the conveying direction of the conveyer belts of an intermediate conveyer, the number of conveyer belts of which decrease in the conveying direction to a single conveyer belt, namely the conveyer belt of the withdrawing mechanism. The first and wider track of the intermediate conveyer has a constantly increasing belt speed. This intermediate conveyer effects the conversion of the multi-track stream of bottles to a single-track stream of bottles accompanied by the action of a guide rail that extends from the wide-track conveyer to the withdrawing mechanism, and is transverse to the stream of bottles. See German Offenlegungsschrift No. 31 29 057.
Not only does an arrangement of this type require a lot of space for the relatively long multi-track conversion section that narrows in stages, and expensive and complicated drive mechanisms for realizing the constantly increasing belt speeds for the individual tracks, but it also necessitates large sliding movements for the redistribution of the bottles that takes place during the conversion process. As a result, the bottles have to be transported in a free-standing manner over long stretches. In so doing, bottles fall over, and considerable noise results.
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the conversion of a stream of bottles while to the greatest extent possible eliminating the need for the expensive and space-consuming conversion stretches of the heretofore known arrangement. It is a further object of the present invention to embody the arrangement for accomplishing this in such a way that with the least possible sliding movement of the bottles during the redistribution, it is also possible in the simple manner to realize any angle between the conveying direction of the feed mechanism and the conveying direction of the withdrawing mechanism, in order in this manner to be able to better utilize the existing space conditions than was previously possible.